Adam's sister's wedding went well and was very enjoyable. I learned that Johnnie Walker is a great painkiller for burnt feet, too.
Sunday and Monday we mostly played around in the ocean and the pool. We visited Old San Juan on a day that there were no cruise ships and roamed around the fort there. I think it is the biggest fort that I have been in. It's kind of built into a cliff on the coast and has neat layering as a result. Then the afternoon rain appeared to be headed in our direction so we abandoned the fort.
Tuesday we got to dive and so we headed for Fajardo at around 6:30 AM and got on the boat around 9. A dolphin followed the boat part of the way to the first dive site. The first dive sucked and I was unhappy. I got nausious walking across the boat with all the weight of the gear on, then the depth was only around 10 feet and the current was terrible. Thankfully we aborted that dive and went to a different location to finish off the first tank.
The second site was far better; it and the third dive were near the Conquistadore's private island. The reefs were healthy too. Also this time I put my gear on in the water, and that helped with my visual/vestibular disagreements. This and the quality of the latter two dives vastly improved my mood.
This week's trip in general and this dive excursion in particular marks the furthest point east that I have traveled. I think if I go back again I'll try to dive off the south coast which is more Caribbean than Atlantic, and I'll also go to the bioluminescent bays. I'm a little disappointed that I didn't get to the bays on this trip.
And remember, don't walk barefoot on the surface of the sun.
Thursday, October 19, 2006
Sunday, October 15, 2006
Puerto Rico, Day 5
So I am in Puerto Rico. It's warm, it's pretty, the food is good, and I have second degree burns on my feet. I said "merci" to someone on accident.
We arrived with little consequence other than Adam not knowing what his duffle bag looked like as it rode 'round and 'round on the baggage claim belt. We didn't do much the first day other than hang out and drink while details were sorted and crises were averted. My first impression of the driving here is that the concept of the social contract seems rather loose. The best way to describe the highways is as a manifestation of tragedy of the commons. Instead of using rules to make things smoother and safer for everyone, each driver seems to select his speed and movements with no regard to the actions and positions of other drivers. At least they mostly pay attention to lights and signs.
Thursday we went to a nice remote beach on the southwestern tip of the island. Unfortunately it was a college holiday so the beach was not quite its usual emptiness. More unfortunately, we took off our shoes to prepare for a muddy trek only to instead take a dry concrete path, halfway along which, better judgement kicked in and we went back for our shoes. Enter the aforementioned second degree burns. Later, I got a sympathetic look from a guy with a walker.
Friday we dove at the Figure Eight in San Juan. We were out for just over an hour and spent much of the time feeding fish and playing with some various critters. I saw one of my favoite black with blue spots and yellow tail fishies too. Photos of the ordeal to come soon.
Friday night one of my feet was hurting really badly, so I consulted with my private burn unit (aka, the MDs among the wedding attendees). Effectively, I got handed a leatherman and told to stop being a weenie and go cut off the blisters and then apply antibiotic cream. I spent the most emo hour ever cutting up my feet and, quite possibly, experiencing mild shock. I am officially exempted from wearing dress shoes to the wedding.
We arrived with little consequence other than Adam not knowing what his duffle bag looked like as it rode 'round and 'round on the baggage claim belt. We didn't do much the first day other than hang out and drink while details were sorted and crises were averted. My first impression of the driving here is that the concept of the social contract seems rather loose. The best way to describe the highways is as a manifestation of tragedy of the commons. Instead of using rules to make things smoother and safer for everyone, each driver seems to select his speed and movements with no regard to the actions and positions of other drivers. At least they mostly pay attention to lights and signs.
Thursday we went to a nice remote beach on the southwestern tip of the island. Unfortunately it was a college holiday so the beach was not quite its usual emptiness. More unfortunately, we took off our shoes to prepare for a muddy trek only to instead take a dry concrete path, halfway along which, better judgement kicked in and we went back for our shoes. Enter the aforementioned second degree burns. Later, I got a sympathetic look from a guy with a walker.
Friday we dove at the Figure Eight in San Juan. We were out for just over an hour and spent much of the time feeding fish and playing with some various critters. I saw one of my favoite black with blue spots and yellow tail fishies too. Photos of the ordeal to come soon.
Friday night one of my feet was hurting really badly, so I consulted with my private burn unit (aka, the MDs among the wedding attendees). Effectively, I got handed a leatherman and told to stop being a weenie and go cut off the blisters and then apply antibiotic cream. I spent the most emo hour ever cutting up my feet and, quite possibly, experiencing mild shock. I am officially exempted from wearing dress shoes to the wedding.
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